Pork Stew with Sage and Thyme
Ingredients
- 3-pounds pork shoulder or sirloin, cut in about 1-inch cubes
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- Pinch salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cups pork, vegetable or chicken stock, 5 cups in total will be needed
- 2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 4 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
- 4 carrots, sliced into coins
- 6 large potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup sweet peas, fresh or frozen
- 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour, rounded
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Over medium high heat, add the olive oil to the bottom of a heavy bottom Dutch oven.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and partly caramelized.
- Remove from pot and set aside.
- You may or may not need to add another tbsp. olive oil at this point.
- Add the pork to the heated pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing often until the pork has well browned.
- To the hot pot, add the celery and caramelized onions and garlic.
- Add the sage and thyme, plus 2 cups of the pork stock; the stock should be boiling hot to speed up the cooking time of this recipe.
- Stir together, cover and place in oven for about an hour.
- Remove from oven, taste the broth and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- After the hour, add the carrots with the remaining 3 cups of hot stock.
- Return to the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and add potatoes.
- Return to oven for another 20 – 30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Move the stew to the stove top and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
- Slowly add a thickening slurry made by whisking together the flour and water until no lumps are left.
- Stir constantly as you add the slurry to stew to avoid lumps.
- Simmer for a minute or two and serve.
Notes
Feel free to add additional vegetables like corn, fresh spinach, brussels sprouts, etc.
A nice finishing touch is to stir in some extra chopped fresh thyme and sage while thickening the stew. It gives the stew a little fresh boost of flavor.